National Honey Week will take place for the first time this year from 25 November – 2 December to raise awareness and support of New Zealand honey and to encourage more Kiwis to include it in their diets.
Led by Airborne Honey, the country’s oldest brand, a number of promotions and initiatives have been planned to help consumers take part in the celebrations.
Each year, a different hero honey will be highlighted. Manuka is this year’s star.
Geoff Scott, leading New Zealand chef and owner of Auckland restaurant, Vinnie’s, will be be the first National Honey Week ambassador. Mr Scott will be creating a number of one-off recipes to show New Zealand honey at its best.
“Honey is one of the purest, most naturally delicious ingredients you can buy and New Zealand is renowned for producing an exceptional range of flavours, textures and floral varieties,” says Mr Scott.
“I use it regularly in my own cooking so it made sense to support a campaign that celebrates it. I think a lot of Kiwis like the taste of honey but might be unsure about how to use it beyond slathering it on toast. Hopefully, we can share some tips, change a few perceptions and encourage more people to use New Zealand honey.”
New Zealand honey has suffered a few knocks in international media recently. A tainted reputation has the potential to threaten the industry, which currently exports 6,000 tonnes of honey per year, valued at around $81million.
“A few quality concerns have been raised, particularly around Manuka honey, which has a lot to do with fraudulent activity overseas,” explains Peter Bray, managing director of Airborne Honey.
“Because of this, it’s more important than ever that Kiwis get behind New Zealand honey. We hope that as many consumers support National Honey Week as possible, as well as other honey producers and beekeepers. New Zealand honey is a national natural treasure and something we should all be proud of.”
